Do I have any say regarding blood pressure medication? -

I have had high blood pressure for most of my life.. Dr s experimented on me with several different meds since 1985; most of which had terrible side effects for me...Well one of the medications I used to take was atenenol..after about a year in 1990 I got severe muscle cramps, aching joints and depression..The doctor I had at that time said not to take it anymore because of this and it could cause fibromyalgia..well I have taken different medications since and the one type of medication I can tolerate is ace inhibitors...Lotensin was controlling my hypertension for quite sometime but now it isn t with 40 mg..The doctor I have now has been giving me different medications to take, which, of course. have side effects...Well I went back to atenenol a few months ago and after a while I had trouble sleeping and not feeling well..The last couple of weeks my knees, back and ankles have really been bothering me..I feel depressed; like crap..on the weekends I just want to sleep and half the time I don t feel like going to work..Well last night I didn t take the atenenol and I feel a lot better..I actually slept through the night with no problems..My muscles didn t hurt and I had some energy..I really believe this medication is making me sick..I don t know what to do..cause if my blood pressure goes up again the dr. will be mad at me for stopping the meds...I feel like crap..most of the meds I take for hypertension make me feel depressed, dizzy, make me gain weight, make me constipated.or .make my muscles ache ...I can only tolerate ace inhibitors the other ones are untolerable for me..If I have to take these horrible pills I cannot work..cause I feel HORRIBLE. can doctors force you to take meds...How come doctors do not care how you feel...Maybe I m supposed to have high blood pressure..

To answer your main question, YES! you certainly do have a say about which meds you re on. Never be afraid that your doctor is going to mad. NEVER. You know what works and what doesn t work for you. There are so many different BP meds! Tell the doctor you know you can tolerate the ace inhibitors. Tell him what you were on made you sick so you stopped taking it. You re not meant to have high BP. You just need to figure this out. it takes a lot of people years before they get it right. I have 2 recommendations for you. 1. Call a pharmacist. Now is a good time to call a 24-hour pharmacy, because the pharmacist probably isn t real busy. Pharmacists are SO smart, kind, and helpful. Tell him/her what s going on, and he will guide you. 2. See a psychiatrist. Not because you re crazy! (That s an old stigma.) Psychiatrists are the smartest doctors. They go to school an extra 4 years, and they know more about meds than regular doctors. I see it time and time again. They help people just like you. So don t feel hopeless. There IS help for you. Bless you and good luck. :)

Thanks for the BA. I still say, see a psychiatrist!!! That s your best shot of feeling well. Lynn :) Report Abuse

Most medications have adverse side effects. You need to work with your doctor to find one that gives you the minimum side effects. If you don t keep your blood pressure under control, you could be risking a heart attack, so you should not stop taking your medication.

SIde effects of a medication are not fibromyalgia fibromyalgia is a real disorder of the central nervous system--if your doc is currently telling you this med can cause fibro--you need a new doc-- there is a slight possibility that any med can trigger fms--but to say that the side effects of this particular med put you at risk is malpractice.... you have a choice--as long as you age cognitively competant---you have the right to say that you understand the risks-you can have a stoke or heart attack and die at any time--but you choose to live comfortably and enjoy the tim you have--rather than be tortured by the side effects..

You have to discuss all of this with your doctor. It is his/her responsibility to make sure that you feel as well as you can and work with you and prescribe a drug that works for you. No, they cannot force you to take a drug. Your body will become used to a drug and sometimes it no longer works. Tell your doctor your problems and that you stopped the drug to see if that was what was making you feel bad, and after you stopped it, the symptoms stopped. Let him know that you want to try something else and see how it works. Too bad if he gets mad at you. He s not the one with all of the side affects. You need to keep your BP down, and I m sure that there is something out there for you. Keep on him. He works for you...his business is making people feel better and helping with their health issues. If something that used to work for you no longer does, then something that didn t work for you before may now. Trial and error! Best Wishes